Sheet metal can body and method of making the same



June 8, 1937. A. 1.. KRONQUEST 2,033,453

SHEET METAL CAN BODY AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Aug. 5, 1935 9 ij r i a a W 1 T I 5 7 L .QL M g 9 v Patented June 8, Hi3"? uturso STATS ter SHEET METAL CAN non-Y AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Alfred L. Kronquest, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, 1110., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 5, 1935, SerialNo. 34,810

1 Claim.

In my prior application Serial No. 19,717, filed May 3, 1935, there is shown and described a sheet metal can body wherein the side seam is so constructed as to permit the heated gases to escape 5 from the interfolded parts of the side seam during the solder bonding of the same. This is accomplished by forming the inner hook with slits which extend at an angle to the edge thereof and from. the free edge throughout the entire width of the side seam. These slits-are spaced at short intervals and serve as vents to permit the escape of any trapped gases and a more free flow of the solder by capillary attraction throughout all parts of the side seam.

The present invention relates to an improvement on the construction of the can body shown in my prior application, and has for its object to provide not only a seam construction which will permit the trapped gases to escape, but also a seam construction which will permit a more free flow of the solder by capillary attraction to all parts of the side seam.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a sheet metal blank shaped for forming the can body, which blank includes my improvement;

Fig. 2 is a view from the inside prior to the interlocking of the hooks;

Fig. 3 is a View from the inside showing the hooks interlocked;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3. 36 In carrying out the invention, a sheet of metal is cut so as to provide a body blank which is indicated at I. In the drawing, this body blank is notched as indicated at 2, 2 so as to form an offset portion 3 which is bent back to form a hook 40 indicated at 4 in Figures 2, 4, and 5 of the drawing. This edge portion 3 of the blank is provided with a series of slits 5, 5, which slits extend from the free edge of the blank or hook substantially to the opposite side of the side seam. that is, the slits extend to the base of the hook, but are not carried around the curved portion of the hook into the body.

The other edge portion of the blank l, which is indicated at 6, is bent back to form a hook indicated in broken lines at "I in Fig. 3, and in full lines in Figures 4 and 5. The edge portion of the blank I is provided with slits 8 disposed at short intervals, and these slits extend all the way from the free edge of the blank to the base of the hook, around the curved portion of the hook,

of the side seam. disposed at right angles to the edge of the body blank. They may, however, be disposed at an acute angle to the edge of the body blank as shown in my prior application. The slits also, asshown, are staggered in relation to each other andso disposed that the slits 5 in the interfolded seam. are substantially midway between the slits 3, 8;

After the blank is shaped as shown in Fig. 1, it then provided with hooks and the blank curved intov body form and the hooks interlocked. It will be understood, of course, that the body may be first curved and the hooks formed while the body is in curved shape. After the hooks are interlocked they are bumped inthe usual way, and then the body with the interlocked hooks is fed to a soldering device and solder applied to the can body at the outside thereof and in the region indicated at 9 (Figures 4 and 5). The solder will flow by capillary attraction between the adjacent Wall immediately adjacent the same. The heated gases accumulating in advance of the flow of the solder from the flux will pass through the slits 8 and escape, as indicated by the arrows a.'-a.. These slits 8 are sufficiently close together that the gases will find their way lengthwise of the side seam to the slits and escape through the slits. The gases will continue to escape ahead of the advancing solder, until the solder flows all the way around to the inner end of the hook I, and in fact, around the hook I and along the outer face thereof so that a solder bond is produced extending throughout the entire region of the interfolded parts of the side seam. As the solder flows from the region 9 along the inner face of the hook 4 in the region of the slits 5, thesolder will pass through said slits by capillary attraction and into the space between the outer face of the walls of the hook 4 and the bodyv hook 4 and the inner face of the hook '5. This 7 flow of solder is indicated by the arrows b-b in Fig. 5. In other words, not only will the solder flow along between the inner face of the hook t and the metal of the body which is adjacent thereto, but it will pass to the outer side of the hook 4 and flow along the space between the outer face of said hook and the inner face of the hook I. Furthermore, in the region of the slits 3, the solder can flow therethrough to the outer face of the hook I. These slits serve as a. means for bypassing or conducting some of the solder by capillary attraction more directly to the extreme parts of the side seam, while other portions of V the solder flow in the usual way along the space between the contacting surfaces. In both cases,

any heated gases produced ahead of the flowing solder through the reaction of the heat on the flux, or for other reasons, will be permitted to escape at'once through these slits, and thus there is a free quick flow of the solder to the extremes of the contacting metal'parts of the side seam, and a solder bond will be produced which is of side seam, and from end toend thereof. 'I'hecan body blank as illustrated, is shaped soas to provide lapping sections at the ends of the interlocking sections to aid in the flanging of "the can body for the double seaming of ends thereto. The invention may, however, be applied 't'o a can full length of theside seam. These slits which greatly aid in the forming of a more perfect solder bond, dolnot, in any way, weaken the side seam, nordo they change the shaping ofthe side seam, as there are the side seam to the lapping sections at the other end thereof. Furthermoreyit is noted that the slits which are formed in the outer hooks do not extend around the curve at the base of the hook four thicknesses of metal all' ,theway from the lapping, sections at one endof claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i M v A metal. can'body having its edge portions joined in a side seam extending from one end of the body to the other, said side seam including inner and outer interlocking hooks, themetal forming the inner hook having slits formed therein extending at'an angle to the edge of the hookand all the way from the end of the hook into the metal supporting the hook and terminating' substantially at the limits of the side seam V to permitthe gases to escape during solder bondbody wherein the interlocked parts, extend the;-

ing, said outer hook having slits formed therein hook for allowing the solder to flow quickly hook being arranged in staggered relation to the slits in the outer hook, and each slit being formed by cutting the metal along a singleline whereby the edges of the slits are solder bonded together. during the solder bonding of the side seam.

ALFRED L. KRONQUEST.

extending at an angle to the edge of the hookand terminating substantially at the base of the 

